Facts and figures

• The Crown Estate was established in its current form by a 1961 Act of Parliament.

• All profits are paid to the Treasury. For the year ending 2011, profits were £230.9 million.

• Regent Street and 50pc of properties in St James’s are owned by the estate.

• With 145,000 hectares (358,000 acres) The Crown Estate has one of the largest rural estates in the UK.

• The marine estate includes more than half of the UK’s foreshore, tidal riverbeds and almost all of the seabed within the 12 nautical miles limit – including rights to all minerals but excluding hydrocarbons

• The estate has more than 17,000 licensed moorings around the UK

• Whales beached on The Crown Estate’s land do not belong to it. As the estate’s website explains: “Whales, amongst other species, are part of what is known as 'Royal fish', and when beached, theoretically The Queen can claim ownership.”

• Windsor Great Park, the only Royal Park owned and managed by the organisation, is visited by around 2.5m visitors every year

• Rights to all naturally occurring gold and silver – the Mines Royal – belong to The Crown Estate